LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University softball defeated Merrimack 8-0 in five innings in game one and 7-1 in game two. The first win tied a single-season program record with 22 conference wins and the second win set a record of 23.
 
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
» Rachel Marsden (18-5) went 7.0 innings and allowed one run on five hits with two walks and 10 strikeouts. She also went 3-for-5 with one double and a two-run home run.
» Grace Vesco (16-7) allowed no runs on two hits with one walk and eight strikeouts in 5.0 innings.
» Ashley Orischak went 4-for-6 with three runs scored, two doubles, one triple and one RBI.
» Ashley Wruble went 3-for-5 with three runs scored.
» Kaylie Walters added two hits, four walks, three runs scored and one RBI.
 
TURNING POINTS OF GAME ONE
» Madelyn Wilson started the scoring with an RBI groundout, followed by Orischak scoring on a wild pitch, to open a 2-0 Red Flash lead in the second.
» Olivia Ulam padded the lead when she scored on a wild pitch in the third. Walters drove Orischak home in the fourth, before Ulam hit a two-run single two batters later and opened a 6-0 lead.
» In the fifth inning, Aliya Garroway and Lexi Hernandez executed a double steal that scored Hernandez. Orischak walked game one off with an RBI infield single for an 8-0 Red Flash win.
 
TURNING POINTS OF GAME TWO
» Ulam drove home Walters three batters into game two and opened a 1-0 lead. Nash doubled the lead with an RBI groundout in the inning.
» Merrimack got a run back in the second on a double to right center and cut the deficit to 2-1.
» After a scoreless third, Saint Francis rallied for five runs in the fourth behind a Marsden two-run home run, Ulam sacrifice fly and Nash infield single that two runners scored on to open a 7-1 lead.
» Merrimack produced three baserunners total in the final three innings, but Marsden kept the Warriors off the board to clinch the doubleheader sweep.
 
FLASH NUGGETS
» Saint Francis set a new program record with its 23rd conference victory this season.
» With her four walks drawn, Walters moved into a fourth-place tie with Sierra McKee in single-season program history with 37 walks.  
» Vesco finished the day at 163 strikeouts for the season, which moved to fifth in program history. She holds four of the top six single-season marks.
» Marsden's 10 strikeouts broke her previous season high of nine that she set twice.
» Ulam recorded her 50th RBI of the season during game two. Her 398 putouts are now fourth in single-season program history.

UP NEXT
Saint Francis concludes the regular season on Sunday, May 5 at 12 p.m. and will honor eight seniors prior to the game.